About Those Last 6 Minutes vs. Creighton ...

[JoePgh]

I've seen a number of comments in the postgame threads about how UConn was completely unable to deal with the press defense that Creighton implemented in the final 6 minutes of the game. Some suggested that if Creighton had played that kind of defense for the whole game, they would have won easily.

I think this viewpoint is misleading, and you can see this if you look at the details of those last 6 minutes. UConn got its largest lead of the game with 5:56 left in the game when Liv made her "and 1" 3-point play (and scored her only paint points of the day). At that point, I really think UConn (on Geno's instruction) was primarily focused on milking the clock and protecting the lead, rather than scoring a lot more points. And they were fairly successful with this: the lead remained at 17 until 4:28 when it became 15. It stayed there until 3:14 when it became 13, which lasted until 2:10 when it became 11. Then at 1:41 it became 9 points, at which point Geno called a timeout. At 1:11, Aaliyah Edwards made 2 free throws to put the lead back to 11 -- UConn's only points in the last 6 minutes, and Aaliyah's only points of the second half. The lead remained at 11 until Morgan Maly's 3-point score at 0:18, far too late to make any difference.

The point of all this is that even though UConn was not scoring during these 6 minutes, Creighton (who started 17 points behind) was not closing the lead at nearly the pace which would be needed to make the game close or put the outcome in question. Part of this was effective defense, but another part of it was extending the time consumed by UConn's offensive possessions, i.e., milking the clock. You can say that Creighton's press shut down UConn's scoring, but that is only valid (at least as far as extrapolating to the entire game is concerned) if you assume that UConn was making a serious effort to score as many points as possible during that time period. It wasn't -- it was trying to use up the clock and protect the lead.

If you watch the replay of the last 6 minutes, you will see that UConn never lost possession of the ball in the backcourt as a result of Creighton's press. It did turn over the ball in the half court offense a few times, and there were a number of other close calls. It's likely that a more skilled pressing team would have gotten a few turnovers, but Creighton didn't. So I disagree with those who say that UConn wasn't able to handle Creighton's press.

I do agree with another frequent comment in the postgame threads -- that UConn inexplicably went away from its inside game in the second half. It is a mystery why that happened. Dorka had 0 points in the second half, and Aaliyah had only those two late free throws in the entire half, after both were effective in the first half. Liv made the 3-point play at the 6-minute mark of the 4th quarter, but did nothing else in the paint for the entire game. Did any of you sharp-eyed observers notice a defensive adjustment by Creighton in the second half to shut down UConn's inside game? I didn't, but maybe I need to watch the second half again.

 

[Rb335]

Although I agree with most of what you've outlined, the issue remains that we scored only two FTs in the final 6 minutes of action. This is a trend that we've seen since the SC game. You can get away with it against some of the big east competition, but a few of our loses are a result of better teams capitalizing on this flaw. It doesn't matter if you aren't turning the ball over, if you aren't scoring in the 4th quarter, you are going to lose most close games.

It's something I expect will get better in time when we return to full strength, and will be a point of emphasis in practice.

 

[oldude]

One correction. Liv’s 3 pt play were not her “only points of the day.” Liv was 3 for 6, scoring 7 pts to go along with her 7 rebounds, 3 assists & 1 steal.

Otherwise, I do believe the lack of games and limited number of players available to practice most directly affected UConn’s struggles with the Creighton press. I suspect Geno will spend some time working on breaking the press in practice this week.

 

[Stymie]

My question is, after playing top tier hoops for the better part of a decade ( little less for some) shouldn’t they already know how to beat a press?
Where NOT to take the ball?
Where the open player is as a result of the direction of the incoming pressure?
Same with the inbound pass?
Isn’t it pretty much basketball 101?
Some wrinkles but not reinventing the wheel, no?

 

[HuskylnSC]

My question is, after playing top tier hoops for the better part of a decade ( little less for some) shouldn’t they already know how to beat a press?
Where NOT to take the ball?
Where the open player is as a result of the direction of the incoming pressure?
Same with the inbound pass?
Isn’t it pretty much basketball 101?
Some wrinkles but not reinventing the wheel, no?

This team is a new team with experienced players playing out of position. They all know the fundamentals of breaking a press, but haven't worked together on who will be where and when. The press didn't really work that well as UConn never turned the ball over in the back court. Also remember the best ball handler fouled out.

 

[Carnac]

One correction. Liv’s 3 pt play were not her “only points of the day.” Liv was 3 for 6, scoring 7 pts to go along with her 7 rebounds, 3 assists & 1 steal.

Otherwise, I do believe the lack of games and limited number of players available to practice most directly affected UConn’s struggles with the Creighton press. I suspect Geno will spend some time working on breaking the press in practice this week.

Geno and his team get a break the next two games. They play the two teams at the bottom of the BIG East conference standings...Butler (1-11/0-3) and Xavier 6-7/1-3). UConn should be able to get in sync and on track against these two squads and shake off any residual rust.

 

[oldude]

This team is a new team with experienced players playing out of position. They all know the fundamentals of breaking a press, but haven't worked together on who will be where and when. The press didn't really work that well as UConn never turned the ball over in the back court. Also remember the best ball handler fouled out.

One other element of breaking the press that’s often effective which Geno did not use is to put a big like Liv or Dorka on the floor to screen and/or catch the inbound pass. Liv & Dorka are both tall enough to hold the ball above their head, see over all the Creighton players and find the open teammate. Geno used Aaliyah & 4 guards at the end of the game. I was a little surprised he didn’t use one of his bigs in that situation, like he used to use Stewie to break presses.

 

[Centerstream]

This team is a new team with experienced players playing out of position. They all know the fundamentals of breaking a press, but haven't worked together on who will be where and when. The press didn't really work that well as UConn never turned the ball over in the back court. Also remember the best ball handler fouled out.

I don't think anyone fouled out but Nika did have 4 but was on the court when the game ended. She did, however, have a couple of TOs when the Bluejays were cutting away on that 17 point lead.

 

[oldude]

Geno and his team get a break the next two games. They play the two teams at the bottom of the BIG East conference standings...Butler (1-11/0-3) and Xavier 6-7/1-3). UConn should be able to get in sync and on track against these two squads and shake off any residual rust.

That’s the good news schedule-wise. After Butler & Xavier the Huskies get on a plane to Eugene to play the Ducks. Hopefully, the team will have Azzi & Amari available and be executing more efficiently by that game.

 

[ccwarrior]

I've seen a number of comments in the postgame threads about how UConn was completely unable to deal with the press defense that Creighton implemented in the final 6 minutes of the game. Some suggested that if Creighton had played that kind of defense for the whole game, they would have won easily.

I think this viewpoint is misleading, and you can see this if you look at the details of those last 6 minutes. UConn got its largest lead of the game with 5:56 left in the game when Liv made her "and 1" 3-point play (and scored her only paint points of the day). At that point, I really think UConn (on Geno's instruction) was primarily focused on milking the clock and protecting the lead, rather than scoring a lot more points. And they were fairly successful with this: the lead remained at 17 until 4:28 when it became 15. It stayed there until 3:14 when it became 13, which lasted until 2:10 when it became 11. Then at 1:41 it became 9 points, at which point Geno called a timeout. At 1:11, Aaliyah Edwards made 2 free throws to put the lead back to 11 -- UConn's only points in the last 6 minutes, and Aaliyah's only points of the second half. The lead remained at 11 until Morgan Maly's 3-point score at 0:18, far too late to make any difference.

The point of all this is that even though UConn was not scoring during these 6 minutes, Creighton (who started 17 points behind) was not closing the lead at nearly the pace which would be needed to make the game close or put the outcome in question. Part of this was effective defense, but another part of it was extending the time consumed by UConn's offensive possessions, i.e., milking the clock. You can say that Creighton's press shut down UConn's scoring, but that is only valid (at least as far as extrapolating to the entire game is concerned) if you assume that UConn was making a serious effort to score as many points as possible during that time period. It wasn't -- it was trying to use up the clock and protect the lead.

If you watch the replay of the last 6 minutes, you will see that UConn never lost possession of the ball in the backcourt as a result of Creighton's press. It did turn over the ball in the half court offense a few times, and there were a number of other close calls. It's likely that a more skilled pressing team would have gotten a few turnovers, but Creighton didn't. So I disagree with those who say that UConn wasn't able to handle Creighton's press.

I do agree with another frequent comment in the postgame threads -- that UConn inexplicably went away from its inside game in the second half. It is a mystery why that happened. Dorka had 0 points in the second half, and Aaliyah had only those two late free throws in the entire half, after both were effective in the first half. Liv made the 3-point play at the 6-minute mark of the 4th quarter, but did nothing else in the paint for the entire game. Did any of you sharp-eyed observers notice a defensive adjustment by Creighton in the second half to shut down UConn's inside game? I didn't, but maybe I need to watch the second half again.

Isn't the bigger issue: A UConn team "managing" the clock in a BE game so as to not lose? I would be shocked if this is what Geno planned, and concerned about much larger issues if it was.

 

[meyers7]

One other element of breaking the press that’s often effective which Geno did not use is to put a big like Liv or Dorka on the floor to screen and/or catch the inbound pass. Liv & Dorka are both tall enough to hold the ball above their head, see over all the Creighton players and find the open teammate. Geno used Aaliyah & 4 guards at the end of the game. I was a little surprised he didn’t use one of his bigs in that situation, like he used to use Stewie to break presses.

Agreed. I was thinking maybe for FT shooting?? ONO's ok at 70% but Djorka is at 54%. Edwards is at 83%. IDK, just an idea of why they weren't out there???

 

[oldude]

Agreed. I was thinking maybe for FT shooting?? ONO's ok at 70% but Djorka is at 54%. Edwards is at 83%. IDK, just an idea of why they weren't out there???

One other aspect of breaking the press that would have been completely different if Paige was on the court was that several times when UConn did break the press, rather than attacking the basket for a 2 on 1 or 3 on 2, UConn pulled the ball out, permitting Creighton to continue to pressure the ball with a half-court trap.

Here again, my best guess is that without sufficient players (minimum 10), you really can’t practice breaking a full court press.

 

[LoboDays]

Their performance during the last 5 minutes of the game was not what you want to see in a team that is supposed to have the superior talent. If you want to chalk it up to rust, exhaustion, lack of practice, or any other creative excuse you can think of, go ahead. For me, it’s just another symptom of the underlying problem with this team this season. The players who are supposed to be counted on are just not showing up.

 

[Littlemin]

I don't think anyone fouled out but Nika did have 4 but was on the court when the game ended. She did, however, have a couple of TOs when the Bluejays were cutting away on that 17 point lead.

Actually, she only had one TO for the game officially but your point is more than valid.

 

[oldude]

The players who are supposed to be counted on are just not showing up.

Yes that’s clearly true. Paige, Azzi, Aubrey, and, until yesterday, Nika haven’t been showing up……

I can’t imagine where they’ve been?

 

[Littlemin]

One other aspect of breaking the press that would have been completely different if Paige was on the court was that several times when UConn did break the press, rather than attacking the basket for a 2 on 1 or 3 on 2, UConn pulled the ball out, permitting Creighton to continue to pressure the ball with a half-court trap.

Here again, my best guess is that without sufficient players (minimum 10), you really can’t practice breaking a full court press.

It is challenging to want to slow the game down while being pressed, which is what happened at the end of the game. Uconn players were standing around rather than moving to create passing lanes for whoever had the ball. That in turn causes the ball handler to accept the double team rather than have an outlet to get rid of it immediately; a simple concept, we all played “keep away” as kids.
IMO, Creighton didn’t press the whole game because it would have sped the game up to a tempo Uconn wants to play at but it was effective in the last part of the 4th quarter because Uconn started to play against the clock rather than Creighton; they had enough of a lead that it looked really ugly but the W was never threatened.

 

[oldude]

It is challenging to want to slow the game down while being pressed, which is what happened at the end of the game. Uconn players were standing around rather than moving to create passing lanes for whoever had the ball. That in turn causes the ball handler to accept the double team rather than have an outlet to get rid of it immediately; a simple concept, we all played “keep away” as kids.
IMO, Creighton didn’t press the whole game because it would have sped the game up to a tempo Uconn wants to play at but it was effective in the last part of the 4th quarter because Uconn started to play against the clock rather than Creighton; they had enough of a lead that it looked really ugly but the W was never threatened.

Your point is well taken. Philosophically, I always hated Dean Smith’s 4-corners offense, or any effort to run the clock out by playing “keep away.” I absolutely believe that the best way to deal with a press is to attack it and the basket. That usually results in a basket or a trip to the foul line.

 

[meyers7]

Their performance during the last 5 minutes of the game was not what you want to see in a team that is supposed to have the superior talent. If you want to chalk it up to rust, exhaustion, lack of practice, or any other creative excuse you can think of, go ahead. For me, it’s just another symptom of the underlying problem with this team this season. The players who are supposed to be counted on are just not showing up.

Don't think they are creative excuses at all. I think they are pretty good reasons.

Here's another for you. I always bring this up every year, guess it just flies over some peoples heads. During the interim between semesters, the team will sometimes struggle. They usually play best when they can get in a rhythm of "school, practice, game, school, practice, game". Right now they are in "practice". No "school", and until last night no "game" either.

Truthfully, with the weird schedule this year, they really haven't got into a nice "school, practice, game" rhythm yet this year.
They had Arkansas, then a week before Battle 4 Atlantis. Then a week and half off. Then they started to get into a rhythm and lost Bueckers. Had a couple more games to try to adjust, then a week off. Then a game followed by a 3 week shutdown.

If they can put some games together, get back in school and get some of their players back......then we can see where they are really at.

 

[LoboDays]

I admire creativity.

 

[Centerstream]

That’s the good news schedule-wise. After Butler & Xavier the Huskies get on a plane to Eugene to play the Ducks. Hopefully, the team will have Azzi & Amari available and be executing more efficiently by that game.

Didn't Geno say over the weekend that Azzi probably won't be available until February? He said he is hoping to have both her and Paige available next month.

 

[oldude]

Didn't Geno say over the weekend that Azzi probably won't be available until February? He said he is hoping to have both her and Paige available next month.

All I heard was that Azzi could start running next week (i.e. this week). I don’t know how that translates to her availability to actually play.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Geno also said he asked Azzi when she was going to play and Azzi said "next game."

 

[Centerstream]

All I heard was that Azzi could start running next week (i.e. this week). I don’t know how that translates to her availability to actually play.

Geno also said he asked Azzi when she was going to play and Azzi said "next game."

Could be. I am pretty sure in one of the many interviews or pressers this weekend, he said, and it was posted on the Boneyard, February. Oh well, it seems lately that I am making it a habit of posting fake news.

 

[Valleyfan]

One other element of breaking the press that’s often effective which Geno did not use is to put a big like Liv or Dorka on the floor to screen and/or catch the inbound pass. Liv & Dorka are both tall enough to hold the ball above their head, see over all the Creighton players and find the open teammate. Geno used Aaliyah & 4 guards at the end of the game. I was a little surprised he didn’t use one of his bigs in that situation, like he used to use Stewie to break presses.

Couldn’t agree more. Using a big as an inbound pass recipient can help in so many ways. And what a bonus if they can dribble a bit (Dorka)

 

[MD#12Fan]

I noticed that the team was not able to pull away in the first half either. Seemed from memory that that they had a couple of runs, one in each half that separated them from Creighton. The game was never in doubt, as it should not have been, considering UConn is superior at every position significantly. Like watching a pickup game in which one team is clearly better but never really able to clearly pull away.
I see it as a combination of factors: not hitting shots, 25% from 3, defensive lapses, did AE lose her man twice in a row for layups?, getting out-rebounded, many of which were long rebounds, and 16 turnovers by a veteran team.